Drs. Oz and Roizen: Workplace gyms a win-win

Published 4:41 pm, Friday, November 8, 2013

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Drs. Oz and Roizen: Workplace gyms a win-win

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Q. I work for a shipping company with about 45 employees, and many of us have commutes of more than an hour each way. It's almost impossible to get any exercise during the week. We'd like to see a small gym put in downstairs or get our company to help pay for gym memberships. What's the best way for me to approach my boss with this idea?

A. Dr. Mike's Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute is a leader in designing corporate wellness programs. Your boss can contact the institute at 866-811-4352. They can explain the benefits — to the bottom line of companies and the bottoms of employees — that come from instituting fitness, nutrition, smoking-cessation and stress-reduction programs.

According to the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, in 2012, companies that received its Corporate Health Achievement Award outperformed the S&P 500, posting an annualized return of 5.23 percent versus the S&P 500 return of .06 percent. You see, these wellness programs reduce insurance costs (something your boss can negotiate), foster company loyalty, and make employees happier, healthier and, yes, more productive. It's a win-win.

The only (reasonable) reason your boss wouldn't go along with providing employees with a wellness program is if he or she thought no one would participate.

So here's our advice. Find out how employees are truly committed to using an on-site gym or a work-sponsored gym membership, and estimate how much those initiatives would cost the company. Then talk to human resources to find out how much your company could save in reduced health insurance costs once a wellness program is in place.

Then make a formal presentation, and don't forget to have your boss call Dr. Mike's institute if management has questions. Good luck, and let us know how things work out!